Greek Bros. closes Navarro restaurant, expands downtown

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Lights were out at the Greek Bros.'s Whispering Creek store, and restaurant equipment sat outside, but signs didn't point to an eatery gone under.

Instead, they hinted at a shift in business.

The restaurant closed its 6220 N. Navarro St. store, but plans to expand Greek's 205 Bar, owner George Charkalis said.

"This has kind of been in the back of my mind for a while," he said. "When we first opened up here, I thought I would be more inclined to just sell steaks and seafood and go home early. But I ended up staying late anyway."

Plans were in the works to focus efforts downtown, but kicked into high gear after landlords, to whom the restaurant recently began paying month-to-month rent, asked the restaurant to leave, Charkalis said.

"We kind of hustled," he said. "We didn't have time to visit with a lot of people about what happened."

The move means the restaurant's staff will temporarily decrease, Charkalis said, but will grow as it becomes more established downtown.

Lynann Pinkham, a leasing agent with NAI Cravey Real Estate Services, Inc., Whispering Creek's management company, said the restaurant's lease was almost up and the decision to pursue other options was mutual between landlord and tenant.

The plan now, Charkalis said, is to transform Greek's 205 Bar into an atmosphere much like the chain's El Campo restaurant. An increase in porch space and live entertainment join the mix, he said, while the restaurant will also expand next door, into 207 E. Constitution St.

He said the business would keep a limited menu at its start, but transition into more options.

As for the vacated Greek Bros. building, it won't be that way for long.

A new restaurant is already slated to take up two-thirds of the location, Pinkham said. Although she could not give the restaurant's name due to business reasons, she said additional information would likely be available this week.

Charkalis said he looked forward to the coming weeks.

They mean plenty of work - construction already began on the patio, while the transition into the adjoining space begins in September - but good things will come in the end.

"We're full of energy, rejuvenated and, at some point, we'll be able to have some of the entertainment we have in El Campo," Charkalis said. "We're excited."